Greta Gerwig on the Time Liv Ullman Felt Her Up

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This weekend at the New York Film Festival, Greta Gerwig attended the Stateside premiere of Eden — in which she plays a French DJ’s muse — the latest movie from writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve. And Gerwig got giggly describing the hands-on encounter she had with Liv Ullman in the exact same spot two years ago.

“When I had Frances Ha here, Liv Ullman was here with a documentary [Liv & Ingmar, based on Ullman’s four decades as real-life muse to Ingmar Bergman]. She’s one of my all-time idols, and she said, ‘People tell me we look like each other,’ and then she felt my waist” — Gerwig cinched her torso to demonstrate — “and she said, ‘You’re good. You’re built like a big girl! [Laughs.]”

Gerwig was flattered. “I think she liked my body. It was exciting,” she said. “I felt like she sort of approved of my rib cage. What I like to think is that she was feeling to make sure I had enough meat on my bones, and that she liked that. I sort of felt like this Swedish sage was feeling me up and telling me my body was good and hearty. Which felt nice. It was the sexiest I’ve ever felt.”